Bilston Glen Colliery

Bilston Glen was, in its heyday, one of the NCB's most successful superpit developments.

It was designed to go much deeper than neighbouring mines into the Midlothian coalfield basin, exploiting the limestone coals, with an intended output of 1 million tons per annum.

The mine complex, designed by Bauhaus-trained NCB architect Egon Riss, included baths, a canteen and medical facilities, and was inaugurated on 19 May 1952, production commencing in 1953.

Prior to its closure, 45% of output was consumed by electricity generators (South of Scotland Electricity Board, or SSEB).

Bilston Glen witnessed some of the most bitter scenes of unrest in Scotland during the 1984 strike.

It was the biggest and most modern of the Scottish pits and many of its 1,800 employees were relatively new to the industry.

Many of the miners insisted they wanted to work, and had received assurances from Ian MacGregor, the NCB's head, that the pit was not earmarked for closure. Like their colleagues across the UK, they had not been balloted on industrial action.

During the strike, picketing miners and their families screamed abuse at men who'd been friends and workmates less than a year before. Violence flared frequently.

Police were often the target of the pickets' anger. Gilbert Meikle, above, policed the picket lines at Bilston Glen Colliery in Midlothian during the General Miners' Strike of 1984 to 1985. He was acting police inspector at Musselburgh during this period.

You can hear his thoughts on the strike, and the dilemmas he faced as a law enforcement officer policing members of his own community, below.